The Next Generation
by Wolfwind97
Summary: Sequel to 'Path of Destruction', but you do not have to read the first one. A new FAYZ has come, but now it is the next generation that suffers through it. Will they find a way to survive or will they be like their parents?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ****This is the sequel to 'Path of Destruction', but you not have to read the first one.**

**Chapter 1: 109 hours, 58 minutes**

(Lana)

I watched my son as he attempted to surf. He was much like his father: the looks, personality, and hobbies. Those thoughts made fear engulf my heart and mind, but I wasn't the only one. All the others who had survived the days of hardships had the same fears, too. I'd first noticed it a couple of weeks ago when Chris slammed his hands on his surfboard after he fell off. Anger shone in his eyes as the water around him began to rise higher. Something in my brain sent sheer panic throughout my body. A single word burned in my memories- FAYZ.

(Sam)

"Astrid, have you seen Matt lately?" I asked my wife. The two of us became married after we had our son, Matt, but we stayed in Perdido Beach. So, the three of us lived in a small house in the middle of town. Even though we don't have a lot of money, we were living life to its fullest.

"No, what about him?" Astrid asked as she washed the dirty dishes.

I shrugged, "That's the point. I haven't noticed anything because I can't find him."

"He's probably playing hide and go seek with you." She replied, unconcerned.

"Matt hasn't played that game in years; he said he was too old for a kid's game." I remarked, but Astrid just shrugged. I started to walk away, thinking, _hide and seek? Come on, Astrid! I've looked in every place a twelve year old can fit! Why don't you try to find him? I bet you can't! _

"Hey," A voice said. "I can see you!"

I was stunned, "Uh, where are you?" I listened for the disembodied voice.

"Here, right in front of you." The voice said, and then appeared. "You have a funny look on your face." Matt stated. He was just standing there smiling at me.

I turned around and forced a fake laugh, "Astrid… Astrid!" I ran into the kitchen, "Our son just went invisible!"

She sighed, "Sam just because you can't find him doesn't mean he's invisible."

Frustrated I yelled, "Matt, come show your mom!"

He stood in the kitchen doorway, "You want me to show mom my new trick? Okay!" He disappeared.

"SEE!" Sam yelled and pointed while Astrid just stood there in shock. "I'm not crazy! Matt, stop that, okay?" I felt the air for him, but my hands hit nothing.

Matt laughed, "That tickles."

Now, I was worried because I couldn't even touch him. "Matt." I used my mean, parental voice, "How are you doing that?" I looked at Astrid in horror and realization. I breathed one word… FAYZ.

(DJ)

I loaded the gun and looked in the ceiling to floor mirror. The reflection disgusted me, so I simply shot the mirror, sending it into tiny pieces. The bruises and scars that covered my body made me think of the mother that abandoned me a few months ago. She always said I was just like my father- whoever that was. My name doesn't matter, but if you mess with me, I'll mess you up. Pain shot through my arm as I was about to walk out the door. I didn't know what the pain meant, but it's done this for as long as I can remember. The voice in my head, however, only started a few weeks ago. I took another step forward when it happened. A stupid, invisible box trapped me inside. Then, it disappeared. Junk like that happened all the time though, so I just continued on my way.

(Chris)

I secretly closed the bathroom door and pulled Matt to the water-filled bathtub. "Mom told me to never do this, but watch this." I pointed my hands at the water and moved my fingers until there were small ripples breaking the even surface.

"Dude, that's just a trick. Your fingers are touching the water." Matt remarked and I growled in frustration. Then, he stood in awe as the water rose from the tub. "All right… now that is definitely not a trick. How do you do that?"

I didn't loose my focus, "I don't know brah. It just happens sometimes." The water swirled around the tub until it formed a wave. A kettle dropped from the kitchen making me jump. I looked at Matt for approval as the wave grew bigger. He wasn't answering, so I splashed some water on his face.

"Hey!" He yelled, "No fair!"

My focus slipped as I smiled. The wave came crashing down and slammed us against the door with so much force the door opened. The water pushed us out of the bathroom. Once it spread out, I groaned and got to my knees. That was when I saw my angry mom.

"Chris… what did I tell you?"

I glanced at Matt, "I was just…"

Mom glared at my friend, "Go home now!" When he didn't move, mom bellowed, "NOW!" She sent him scurrying downstairs and out the door.

"Mom… what's the matter?"

"Shut up!"

I felt small, "I'm sorry."

She glared at me, "Nobody can know what you can do. Alright?"

"Why?" As I asked, I looked at the floor. "Matt has some, too."

Mom stiffened, "What are you talking about?"

"He can go invisible. He showed me."

Fear covered her face and she grabbed the nearest phone. After dialing a few numbers, she waited then spoke. "Sam, we have a problem."

I walked toward her, "I don't understand-" And then I was at the school with over a hundred other kids. "What the- what just happened?"

Matt was standing a few feet away, so I went to him. "Dude, what just happened?"

Confusion covered his face, "I don't know, man. I was going home… now I'm here… Am I crazy?"

"If you are, then so am I, brah."

My friend shook his head and closed his eyes, "Okay. I'll open my eyes and be playing video games." He opened his eyes.

"Well, you're still here." I remarked, making him groan in disappointment. "Dream on, brah. Maybe it'll eventually happen." I looked at another kid, "Hey Travis. Any idea what happened?" The kid just shrugged and walked away.

"At least I'm not the only crazy one." Matt remarked.

I walked outside and saw Brietta. "Brietta!" I ran over to the nine-year-old.

"Chris! What's going on? Where's my mom and dad?"

"What? Your mom and dad…" I looked around, but I saw no adults. "Well, they're probably around here somewhere."

Tears started to form in Brietta's eyes, "You promise."

"Yeah. I promise. I'll find them." I said and she hugged me.

"Okay, I believe you."

I hugged her tight, "Just stay around here until I come and get you." Then, I let her go and started to run home. Minutes later, I stood in front of my house and started to run straight for the door.

"Mom!" I ran through the house and soon admitted my mother was gone. Then, I was outside looking up at the sky.

(Matt)

Where was my mom? I walked around the house, searching for someone I knew was not going to be found. I walked out of the house and saw Chris walking up the street. He was alone, so I ran to him. "Well, I've always wondered what my life would be like without my parents. Guess everyone in PB will find out."

"Dude, it's not one of your video games." He sighed, "Let's go check on everyone. I told Brietta I would be back."

We walked further up the street which dozens of kids roamed. Some crying while others tried to make a joke about this whole catastrophe.

I shrank low, "Every adult is gone."

"Great. A town without adults. A terrorist attack will probably come next." Chris stated.

"Shut up! Don't talk about that!"

He threw up his hands, "Well you never know! It could happen right now!"

"Dude!" I went invisible.

Chris closed his eyes and opened them, "Okay I can't see you. What's wrong? Are you afraid?"

"No!" I yelled, "I'm doing this for my health." I walked right through him.

Immediately, Chris shuddered. "Don't do that!"

I made myself solid again, "I want somebody to get me a Coke, video games, and my mom and dad."

Chris shook his head, "I'm not going to be your slave, but I agree with you on the mom part."

I started to jump around a little bit. "Maybe you did this. After all, you're the freak with the power to make waves."

He glared at me, "At least I can't go invisible or intangible."

"Shut up." I shoved him, "I'm not a freak!"

He fell on his butt, his shorts soaked by the puddle he was sitting in. "Dude! Look what you did!" He attempted to glare at me, but I was already invisible. "I see how you are!"

I mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Right, I bet you are. You idiot." He stood up.

Wounded pride made me become visible, "Hit me with your best shot."

Chris picked up a rock and clumsily threw it at me. "Missed. Why not drown me with your waves?" I taunted. Ripples formed at his feet. "You're a wimp, just like your dad!" Then, I instantly regretted the words once they were said.

A hurt look shone in Chris's eyes. "Don't. Say. Anything. About. Him." Then, I watched him turn and walk away.

"Dude, I didn't mean it." I ran until I caught up with him.

He swung his fist and hit me in the nose, sending me backward. "Yeah," He said. "I didn't mean that either."

I held my nose, "I know I messed up, brah and I'm sorry."

Chris glared at me but it faded and a grin replaced it. "You sound funny with your fingers holding your nose shut. Just don't say anything like that again. Oh, by the way, I'm not sorry for nearly breaking your nose."

"Guess I deserved that." I rose to my feet. "Look, I've never met your dad."

He started walking again, "I know, me either."

"Do you miss him?" I asked as I went beside him.

"How can I miss him when I've never met him?"

I laughed, "Well, I miss my parents and my board."

"Well, I just miss my board. Mom was mad at me anyway." My friend said.

_How can you not miss her even if she was mad at you? _The shock of Chris's words left me thinking. _I know she was a smoker with a temper, but she's still his mom. There's something he's not telling me and I intend to find out._

(Chris)

Brietta came over to me, "Did you find my mommy and daddy?"

My heart sank to my stomach, "Not yet. I'm still looking. They're probably just out on vacation somewhere."

He blue eyes looked into mine, "Without me? Why?"

"Perhaps they just need time away for others."

She started to cry, "But I'm alone."

I hugged her, "No you're not. You have me and everybody in Perdido Beach with you."

The little girl hugged me, "My Chris."

I picked her up and swung her in circles, making her laugh. "Remember when I told you I can always make you laugh." After a few turns, I set her back on the ground.

"Mommy told me you were like your daddy." She remarked. I agreed with her. Then, she said, "I'm hungry."

"Well… go home and raid the cookie jar." I joked.

"Okay!" Brietta started to walk back toward her house a few blocks away.

_Just like my father… I only wish I knew exactly who he was. His name… face… and if he likes to surf. _My thoughts were interrupted by Sarena Martin's voice. I saw her running toward me and my heart thudded in my chest.

"Let me guess, you're probably like the others, but I'll ask anyway. Any idea what's going on?"

My voice started to fail, "Uh… Uh… I'm not sure…"

She looked at me with beautiful brown eyes. A grin broke out on her face, "Did you wet yourself?"

"What?" I looked down. "No! I fell into a puddle."

"Oh." She smiled at me, "Can I hang out with you."

_Sarena Martin wants to hang out with me? Oh, man, please let this be reality! _My brain felt like it melted, "Sure."

"Great."

Matt was standing there, jaw dropping as he pointed to Sarena. I grinned and gestured for him to leave, but he refused.

He came over and put his arms around the girl's shoulders. "Hey Sarena." Matt looked at me and laughed, "I see you had an… accident."

Sarena frowned and pushed him away. "Dude." Matt said.

I just grinned.

He left and me and Sarena began discussing our opinions about what was going on. Next thing I know, Sarena was laughing as my heart designed boxers were being shown to the world. Matt had gone intangible and done it. Quickly I pulled them back up and I looked over at the grinning Sarena. "You're blushing." She remarked as her fingers brushed my cheek. I knew my face was red, but I was savoring the moment. Then, she giggled and kissed my cheek.

I heard a growl from behind me, "That's definitely not right."

She kissed me on the other cheek and whispered in my ear, "The last one was to tease Matt." Then, she walked off to talk to another group of girls that were still laughing about my boxers. I waved at them, making them laugh harder. One of the girls walked over to me and touched my shoulder. I just stood there, confused. Then, she ran off yelling something about her touching my shoulder.

Matt became visible, "Dude, you could make a lot of money for letting people see your boxers."

"Oh yeah," I said. "Thanks for… you know, but don't do that again."

"No problem," He grinned. "Hey, do you think they would like blue boxers?"

I laughed as Matt and I walked away.

(Xavier)

I looked at my sister and sat down proudly in the Coates Academy principle's office. "You have to admit, life is pretty sweet."

"It could be better."

"I rule over Coates now, so shut up before I make you." I snapped.

My sister grinned, "Good luck with that, brother,"

I stood and walked over to her, "Be a good girl and find me these two kids." I dropped the piece of paper in front of her.

"What's so important about these two?" She asked.

"Just do it!"

She mocked a salute, "Yes sir. Adrianna Soren at your service."

"Good." I mused.

(Adrianna)

I stood up. _Who does he think he is to boss me around like that? _My brother sat back in his chair as DJ bumped into me.

"Watch it." He growled and I realized I was stuck by some kind of invisible box.

"Hey! Quit! Let me out!" I yelled as I pushed on the barrier blocking my way.

"I don't know how. Lucky you." He laughed bitterly.

"Why you little-" Then I was out. "Don't do that again."

"I could always do worse, remember that." The boy said. I shuddered and ran out the door. From what my dad told me, Coates had been relocated to Perdido Beach, where it was now. So, here I was. Right in the middle of the town's streets. Kids were running everywhere. One small kid came up to me, crying. "My mommy's gone and dad's working. I want them."

A teen came and got the kid, "We'll find them. Don't worry."

Marcus, a Coates kid, came up to me. "Let me guess, Xavier's acting like he's better than everybody else." Even though I would never admit it, Marcus was my secret crush, but I found it easy to talk to him.

"You're right, as always. My brother doesn't care about anyone else other than himself." I replied.

The boy shook his head, "Well, I'm tired of him telling us what to do. So, I'm not coming back here again."

"I'm about to go walking around, you want to come?" I hoped he would say yes, but things don't usually go my way.

"No, thanks anyway though. I have to go find my little brother." He laughed as I looked at him in shock. "Yeah, I have a brother. A good one at that, not a screw-up like me. I guess finding my brother would be my good deed for a lifetime."

I nodded my head and watched Marcus go further away from me. My hand went in my pocket and touched the paper, reminding me of my mission. _Xavier is going to owe me big time. He actually thinks he can take over PB, right. He's only thirteen. Nobody will listen to him._ But, regardless of my doubts, I continued on my way.

(Daniel)

_Not again! The barrier went down years ago! How can it be back now? _I paced around, trying to come up with a solution. _Little Pete caused it the first time, but the Darkness controlled his power and Little Pete and the Darkness is dead… how can it be happening again? _It was exactly like the first day in the old FAYZ, but there were fifteen year old teens. Everybody sixteen and over was gone this time.

I stopped in my tracks as I saw a familiar face, but I realized it was Chris Lazar, Lana's kid. Beside him was Sam and Astrid's son, Matt. They were both silent and they walked around as if they were inspectors. I walked over to them, "Hey! Chris! Matt!" A few seconds later, I was in front of them. "Look, I need you two to come with me."

"Why?" Matt asked.

"I'll tell you when we get there." I replied.

Chris glared at me suspiciously, but nodded his head. I gestured for the two kids to follow me and they obeyed.

It took a while to get to Clifftop, the place where the old barrier cut right through. I tried to look for it, but I figured out it wasn't even in Clifftop. "That's weird." I said, then lead Matt and Chris outside. Confused, I started running.

That was when I saw the adults standing nearly fifty feet away. "Mom? Dad?" Matt said.

(Astrid)

I heard somebody say the words 'mom' and 'dad'. Quickly I turned around and saw Matt, Chris, and Daniel. My son was running toward us like an unstoppable force. "No! Don't come near here!" I yelled, but I was too late. I watched as Matt ran into the barrier, then he just disappeared. Fear engulfed me. _Where was he? What happened to him?_

(Xavier)

I sat back in the chair after DJ left and sighed. _Well dad, you were right. The FAYZ did come back after all. Almost none of the other kids will know what to do in this place. Now your plan is going to unfold. I will take over Perdido Beach, no matter the cost. I'll follow in your footsteps and become the well-known leader of the FAYZ. In fact, I just sent Adrianna to complete the first task. _I put my hands behind my head. _This is the life._

(Kate)

I remember when my dad would go to work and be away for a few days. Every morning, I would ask mom if dad was home. Finally, I asked her where he was all the time. "He's at the army place." She would say, "It's his job. He'll be back here soon."

Now, mom and dad was gone and they didn't even tell me where they were going. I just know I miss them like crazy. This is the only time I didn't have a babysitter to watch me. I stepped out of the house and looked back at it, searching for a hint of my parents. Needless to say, I saw nothing. Tears came out of my eyes as I started to walk down the street, looking for a companion.

(Max)

Everybody was at the plaza, so common sense told me to head there too. Teenagers and kids roamed around like a swarm of ants, but none of us knew what to do. Most people were yelling while some prayed and I didn't blame them. I wanted to do both. A gang of teenagers acted like idiots while announcing somebody's birthday. Then, there was a gasp from the crowd. I tried to see what happened, but I ended up hearing it.

"What happened?" One girl asked.

"He just disappeared…" Another remarked.

I didn't know what was going on, but I knew none of it was good. All of this was hard to believe. There was no way people could disappear like this unless it was act of God. Okay, that made better sense. Yet… I still didn't understand any of it. I watched as teens and kids looked at the spot where the teen disappeared. I didn't want to hear or see anymore of this confusion, so I left it all behind me as I walked back home.

(Daisy)

It was now a strange world, but it didn't scare me. I was used to seeing bizarre things like this in my head, like monsters and death. Sometimes, it would all become reality. These monsters and scenes of death terrified my parents, but they couldn't grasp the fact that I had no control over them. They told me numerous times to quit, but I couldn't. Soon, they ignored me. My life became lonely and I told myself it would all get better. Yet, deep in my heart, I knew I was living a lie. There was no purpose for me in the old world… but now… Maybe I could find a way to fit in. After all, it was a strange place and I was a strange person. _This is where I belong. Forget the old world and live through the new. _

(Matt)

The only thing I saw was my mom and I ran to her. She was yelling something, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. I came within a few feet from her when I felt something block my way. Waves of electricity surged through me as I pulled my hand back. I glanced at my hand, but I realized I couldn't see it. My whole body was invisible and I had no control over my own power. Chris and Daniel stopped in their tracks and looked at where I was. Only then did I realize my back was on the ground.

"Matt?" Chris asked.

I was too weak to talk. A blanket of darkness covered my mind and I couldn't see. My ears started to ring, my head throbbed, and the electricity never dulled. None of my senses was responding and I soon lost everything. I couldn't think or even move, but I wandered around in the darkness of my mind.

(Chris)

I didn't understand what happened, but I was terrified. My best friend just disappeared into thin air after stopping in his tracks. Desperate, I tried to follow Matt's footprints and I saw where they ended. Daniel grabbed me by the shoulder, "Don't take a step closer."

"But-his footprints end… Where is he?" I asked, still in a state of shock.

The older boy pulled me away, "I don't know. Come on, let's get back to the town. Matt's gone, there's nothing we can do."

"No… he's not gone." I said and pulled away. "Matt, come on man stop playing games… Please…" Daniel grabbed my shoulder again and dragged me away. My eyes focused on the spot where Matt should be, but I saw nothing. I turned my head and looked ahead, but I still refused to accept my best friend was gone.

(DJ)

Xavier and I made our way to the plaza, ready for what was about to come. The boy beside me seemed so confident it made me sick. Nobody should act like Xavier does, sure of themselves and what they were doing. Yet, this boy was so sure of everything that came his way. I already knew his whole plan, but I had a plan of my own. One where Xavier Soren was going to die.


	2. Chapter 2

(Edilio)

Chaos. That was the only way to explain what was going on now. Parents were panicking about the return of the FAYZ and worried about their children. Some tried to dig underneath the barrier, but to no avail while others slammed their fists into it. Soon, everything started to become a mess. I was worried, but I wasn't going to go insane. These people need comfort, but I wasn't going to offer them any really. Right when the FAYZ occurred the second time, I was debating what the kids were going through from my own experience. If they were smart, they wouldn't engage in any battles, but it was hard to tell what was in store for them.

A hand fell upon my shoulder and I looked to see who it was. "Caine?"

"Edilio. Long time no see." The man smiled, "What are you thinking?"

I sat down on the ground, "I'm trying to figure out what might happen from what we all experienced. I must admit, it's hard to remember something you want to forget."

"Yeah, I know. The bad thing is, I told my son and daughter nearly everything that happened back then. Xavier, my son, wants to be the boss of everything and anything. Adrianna, on the other hand, can't stand her brother so she'll probably keep him in line." He sighed, "I honestly don't think this FAYZ will be as bad as the last one."

"How can you tell?" I asked.

Caine shrugged, "Most of the kids now are smarter than we were, so they'll figure out how to survive probably even better than us."

"We can only hope." I remarked and started to think again. The only thing that was really aggravating me was what was causing it this time. "Hey, Caine. Didn't Drake have a son by that one girl before he was killed?"

I didn't look up, but I heard Caine curse. "That kid will most likely be another Drake."

"And you son will be another you. Sam and Astrid's son will most likely be another Sam. And-"

"Okay, I get it. Our kids will most likely be like we were back then. Which means…"

I nodded, "They'll most likely make the mistakes and decisions."

Caine pushed his long hair back, "So it will be like last time."

"If I'm not mistaken."

(Adrianna)

I studied the piece of paper in my hand. There were two names and descriptions wrote neatly on the folded paper and I wondered why Xavier wanted these two kids. Matt Temple and a kid called Daniel. The second name was the one that bothered me. If it was the same Daniel I was thinking, then he was basically my friend. Matt Temple, however, was kin to me, but it doesn't matter now. Both these kids were wanted by my brother, so I wasn't going to interfere.

Whenever I had first saw Daniel, I knew he held a lot of power. Now, Xavier wanted him and I didn't know why. I wanted to know what was going to happen to him if I gave him to my brother. I can still remember my dad's instructions like it was yesterday, but I didn't like them. If this new world meant following my dad's orders, then I wanted no part of it. _Let Xavier do everything, I'm not going to be his slave._

(Drake)

_I can't believe this is happening, _I thought as I climbed up the massive pit in the ground. The Darkness was still at the bottom, but that was where the surviving uranium was. I remembered the details of my last fight and I was disgusted that I lost. Now, after all this time… I, Drake Merwin, was back. Nobody could stop what was going to happen now- my master made sure of that. He told me everything I needed to know about what his plan was and I was going to carry out his demands.

He told me that his powers made every kid over the age of sixteen disappear, I guess to give me a little more time to get my revenge. So, naturally, I longed to torture Sam until he begged for me to end his life. As for Caine, his turn would come. I looked around the deserted place with contempt as I recalled the final battle that took place here. Well, that stupid guy wasn't around anymore and no one can stop me. Now that the fisherman was out of the picture, everything would be smooth sailing. I started walking to Perdido Beach and each long stride made me more confident. My Whip Hand started moving involuntarily after it's long rest and I grinned at the thought of all the victim's blood that stained the skin.

Finally, after a few hours, I arrived at Perdido Beach. I expected seeing burnt houses and a handful of teenagers roaming the streets. I thought everything was going to be smooth sailing… but I was wrong. Caine, Sam, Dekka, Lana… not a single one of them was here. Instead, there were kids I've never seen before. That was when I wondered how long I had been in that pit. Months, years, or even decades, but it didn't really matter. There was a bunch of kids to torture now and I was going to make it last, that is, until they were all dead. Then, I saw someone who really stood out to me. Somebody just like me. A kid that acted as psychotic as me, one who didn't care about other's feelings. Curiosity sent me over to investigate.

(DJ)

I stepped back, inspecting my handiwork and felt accomplished. The kid dangling on the flagpole probably didn't think that though since he was hanging by his underwear and receiving one of the world's biggest wedgies.

"How's the weather?" I asked the kid named Boogey.

The kid squirmed around and yelled in frustration, "Come on, man! Let me down!"

"You can come down when you fall down! You better be careful, though." I heard his underwear tear a bit.

"Dude! Please!" _Rip. _The kid barely had time to scream as he hit the ground with a thud. A sickening snap echoed through the air, but I found the noise graceful in my own way. I smiled, then walked away leaving the screaming boy behind me.

(Boogey)

The bone in my left arm was threatening to break through the skin and my ankle was twisted at an impossible angle. Tears of pain streamed down my face as I tried to move. That was when I saw another teenager watching what was happening. Then, he started to come toward me. That was when I saw his arm.

"What- What is that?" The shock of what I saw erased the pain momentarily. The boy had a snake-like arm with red patches all over it. Terror coursed through me as he stopped right in front of me. He took a look at my arm and grinned.

"Bet that hurts." The teen said.

I nodded, not knowing what to say or do. The boy laughed again, "What's your name, kid?"

"M-Mark…"

"Well, Mark, if figure I should introduce myself and this new place you're in." The boy grinned again, "I'm Drake Merwin and welcome to Hell." Drake stepped on my arm, sending the bone through my flesh. The pain was unbearable and I could hear myself screaming, but I was miles away in my mind. Soon, my head started pounding and I disappeared into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

(Max)

Unfortunately, a blue Toyota truck was sitting in my living room. I went to see if there was anybody inside and if they were all right. There wasn't anyone in the cab. Then, I started to look around at the living room. There was a gaping hole in the wall where the truck made it's entrance and debris littered the floor. _Great, the adults are gone and a truck has plowed into my house. What else can go wrong now? _I finally decided I needed to find a place to stay.

I didn't have many friends, but I knew a person who would let me stay at his house. Once I brushed some dust off my clothes, I headed out the door. A few blocks down, I saw the kid everybody called DJ. He was grinning from ear to ear as he went inside my friend's house. Curiosity won over and I looked through the window to see what he was up to. I watched as he grabbed a can of spray paint and wrote 'freak' on the wall. Then, the kid started to break everything.

Then, I saw a teen coming toward the house. I ran around the corner of the house to keep him from seeing me. At first, I thought I was hallucinating. _Did that teen have a snake for an arm? What's up with this guy? _I looked around the corner and watched as the teen stood motionless in the street. Then, DJ walked out of the house…well, tried to at lest. He acted like something was blocking his way and stepped back.

"Dang you…" He lashed out at air and his fist collided with something solid. The teen in the street watched with curiosity as DJ punched at the object. Finally, DJ was able to step forward. "Stupid box." He said and spotted the teenager. "Who are you?" I saw his hand go to his side where he revealed a pistol.

The teen replied, "Drake Merwin. You?"

"That's weird. My name's Drake Junior but they call me DJ."

Drake smiled, "_They_? Who's that?"

DJ shrugged, "Mostly my enemies."

The weird teen was right in front of DJ now and his snakelike arm touched the boy's shoulder. "Sounds like were alike. Especially with that gun at your side. Can you shoot?"

DJ nodded, "Yeah." He pulled out the pistol and aimed at a stop sign nearly eighty feet away. A gunshot rang through the air. Disbelief filled my mind as I managed to see the hole in the red sign.

Drake nodded in acceptance, "Have you ever shot a living thing? How about a seagull?" The teen pulled out his own gun and fired into the air. A small body thudded onto the ground seconds later with it's head completely gone. _These people are lunatics! I'm getting out of here before I'm the one without a head! _I went through the backyard and managed to leave the two crazies behind me.

(Kate)

The further I walked, the more confused my mind became. This world was a new place which meant a new lifestyle, but it didn't bother me. I just wish our parents weren't gone. Whenever I would ask mom how it was when she was younger, she would always say, "It wasn't anything like today." My father would say the same thing when he was on leave from the army. He has been in the army ever since I was born and I asked him why he enjoyed killing people. Needless to say, he never answered until just the other day over the Webcam. "It's been my job for years. My hands are stained with the blood of my enemies and friends… I can't turn back now. Never again will I lead a normal life, but I want you, Kate, to live your life to it's fullest. With no regrets."

After thinking those words, I realized I was being selfish. All the adults disappeared and I guess it is what is meant to happen. All my life, I've lived with no regrets… _And I'm not going to start now. I promise dad that I'll die with no regrets and live my life the way I choose. _

(Lana)

Nobody could believe that the FAYZ was returning for a second round. Some parents were still hysterical about loosing their children to the plans of the mastermind behind the FAYZ. We still didn't know if it was the Darkness or something else, but it wasn't a good sign. Astrid walked beside me where I stood looking through the barrier. "What do you think will happen now?" Her eyes were bloodshot where she had been crying for her son.

"I don't know. Only time will tell." I paused, "Astrid… did Matt have any powers?"

She nodded. "He… He had one that we knew of. Invisibility and intangibility. And Chris?"

"He has one… The ability to control water." I replied, thinking of his father. "I've had dreams, nightmares, about him and his father. One night, one was so bad it turned into a night terror and I done one of the most unforgivable things… I thought he was Drake and I done something that a mother should never do…"

Astrid looked at me, "That one time he… That's what you're talking about isn't it?"

"Yes."

*Three Days Later*

(Daniel)

It's been three days since a kid called Xavier took over the FAYZ. I knew he was Caine's son and I don't trust a child of Caine. The kid told everybody what the FAYZ was and the it had happened before any of us were born. He claimed his father left him with everything he needed to know to be able to help everybody survive. I was the only one who disagreed with what he was doing. So, here I am at the edge of town with Chris living with me. Only now did I realize my guardian basically done the same thing.

The alarm clock showed 8:54 p.m. and Chris still wasn't back from the beach. The poor boy still continued to look for his lost friend, but to no avail. Finally, I heard the front door open. There stood Chris with a dead look on his face and clothes damp from salt water. "Why are you drenched from head to toe?" Then, I saw he had blood streaming from his right ear. "What happened?"

He looked at me with some renewed energy, "I don't think Matt's gone."

"What do you mean? Tell me why you have blood running from your ear!" I demanded. Then, I realized what happened. "You touched the barrier didn't you?"

"Yeah." He closed his eyes for a moment, "But I just brushed against it… The waves… out of control." The kid would have fell to the ground if I hadn't sensed what was about to come. Chris fell unconscious in my arms.

"Stupid kid, what were you thinking?" I asked the motionless body. Carefully, I picked him up and put him on the living room couch. Immediately, I retrieved a washcloth to clean the bloodied ear. As far as I could tell, he wouldn't be able to hear out of his right ear for a while. I sat in the recliner after the job was done and watched some television. _He's never given up on finding Matt, but I don't see how he can think Matt is still here. If Chris is anything like Quinn, he will give up in a little bit. However, if he's like Lana… I don't even want to think about it. No, Chris is Chris. Still, he's grown up without a father and an alcoholic mother. Everything has to be hard for him. _I glanced at the boy, who looked like he was having a nightmare. _The only thing I can do is take care of him. After all, I'm all he has now._

(Chris)

_Everything was dark except for the light that shone ahead. Curious, I made my way toward it. I could hear voices now, but I couldn't make anything out. My feet continued to move until I finally saw three people. Then the light died, but not before I saw Matt. "Matt!" I called, but he didn't answer. There was the sound of footsteps from behind me and I turned around and saw the figure only a few feet away. 'That's m-me…' I thought as the figure of me walked by. The smell of salt water was strong as I watched the figure approach two people now. "What's going on?" I asked. The figure said something to Matt who was on the ground now. _

"_Compete this task and you'll be done, the FAYZ will go down." A voice said from the shadows._

_I tried to go forward, but couldn't and I was in another darkness._

I woke up on a couch and the television was on. Sunlight streamed through the blinds offering some light. Relieved, I sat up and immediately regretted it. My whole body was sore and I became dizzy. I ran to the bathroom and leaned over the toilet, ready for the sickness I felt to come. Several minutes later, nothing happened. Finally, I splashed some sink water on my face, trying to get the dizziness to fade. It didn't work.

There was a commotion in the kitchen and I went to see what was going on. Daniel was halfway in the window knocking dishes onto the floor. "What in the world are you doing?" I asked, not in the mood.

"Great, now you get up! While you were unconscious I left for a while and locked myself out. Now will you please unlock the door?" He said as he tried to get back outside. "Man, now I'm stuck… Crap." He tried to come through the window again, but his arms slipped and he fell facedown in the dishwater. The teen came up spluttering with a face full of bubbles. I couldn't help but laugh at the amusing sight. "Just help me through the window."

I sighed, "I'm too sore after that run in with the barrier."

Daniel squirmed around, "Well… I don't care what you do just get me out of here before someone sees me!"

"Okay… Will water help you get through?" I asked.

A confused look formed on his face, "What do you mean by that?"

"Just promise to not tell anyone."

He nodded.

I planned to use the water to make it easier for him to go through. Needless to say, it didn't work that way. The whole sink exploded and a fountain of water hit the teen square in the face. Stunned, I tried to make it stop, but couldn't. _What's happening? What's wrong with me? _I heard the window shatter and the water rushed through it. _Stop, stop, stop! STOP! STUPID WATER, WHY DON'T YOU STOP ALREADY?_

There was a burning sensation in my mind and the water started to obey my commands again. I grabbed my head and squeezed my eyes shut, but the pain came in shockwaves. Then it just vanished. I opened my eyes and saw a drenched Daniel standing outside the window.

"Are you trying to drown me?" He asked angrily.

I shook my head, "No. I just lost control, that's all."

He sighed, "All right, just unlock the door. Oh, yeah, you can trust me about keeping your powers a secret."

(Astrid)

_Now I understand why Chris changed ever since that day. He doesn't trust anyone, not even Matt to a certain extent. _Lana had told me everything and it felt like I finally understood Chris a little more. The reason he always tried to get away from his mom, argued with her, and attempted to leave the town. That one night ruined his life forever. I remember the whole story that Lana told me. The one that ended with Chris being sent by ambulance to the Emergency Room.

There was no way I could hurt my son, but Lana wasn't in her right mind then. Right after she had the night terror about the old days was when everything took place, the night Chris could neither really remember or forget. The poor boy had suffered a little amnesia after being wounded like he was, but Lana didn't really know what was happening. _It was an accident that shouldn't have happened, but it could have been for the better or worse. Right now though, I just hope Matt is okay._

(DJ)

The teen beside explained what was going to happen now that his master was awake. I understood everything perfectly and decided I wanted in on the 'masters' plans. "How will we talk to the master?" I asked.

"It's easy. We just wait for him to communicate to us. Besides, he's to busy getting two more people on our side to worry about talking to us." Drake replied.

I was shocked at the thought of two other people being as psychotic as me and Drake, "Who is it?"

He put his whip hand on my shoulder, "All in good time, DJ. All in good time indeed."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: 26 hours, 35 minutes**

(Xavier)

I was close to tears when they brought news about the two bodies found in the plaza. One was a girl called Sarena Martin, a pretty girl that nearly everybody knew. The other, was Adrianna Soren, also known as my twin sister. The most disturbing news however was what was on the bodies. Both had warnings cut into their flesh. Sarena's body had '_3:88:99' _while Adrianna's said _'Trust no one'_. My sister had been quite a burden to me really, but she was still my family. Whoever killed her was going to pay with their life. _I promise you Adrianna, I will kill the person who murdered you. Even if it's the last thing I do._

(Brietta)

My stomach growled from hunger. I was going to go home and fing something to eat, but some mean kid moved into my home and wouldn't let me live there anymore. There was only one person I could trust and that was Chris. He makes me laugh and feel like there is nothing bad in the world. I was a block away from where his house was when I saw teenagers with guns. Xavier Soren was leading the group.

"I want you to check every house and find anybody you think is a good canidate for us! No matter the age!" He pushed me out of the way and walked on past. I didn't understand what was going on, but I didn't like it.

(Matt)

I wasn't sure where I was. It was dark. I could sense a presence, but I knew it wasn't human for it felt dark and dangerous… yet gentle. Then I heard and saw a ugly creature made of small, glowing particles moving toward me. I wanted to run, but my body was frozen. It touched my face and I could feel the power of this creature.

"Matt." It said.

"Y-you know my name?" I asked.

"I know everyone's name." It gave a tender and terrifying smile.

"Really?"

"Matt, I'm going to make you a deal. If you fulfill my wishes, you will return home to your parents along with the other kids. I'll teach you a special power that only you are capable of that will end this stupid barrier."

"Really?"

"There's only one small favor I ask of you, though. However, you have to make the deal first. Deal?" It asked.

"Deal." I said without hesitating. The part with the parents was all I wanted.

"The person you will destroy will betray you. You'll understand when that time comes."

"W-who?"

I felt it move into my mind. "You will destroy Chris Lazar. Son of Lana Lazar and Quinn Gaither." It dug deeper into my mind.

"B-but he's my-"

"A deal is a deal my dear boy. Or shall I call you my son. The son of eternal darkness." It remarked.

"I'm not your-"

"A deal is a deal, Matt."

I felt it dig further into my mind and I felt myself loosing control. My last thought was, _What have I done?_

(Quinn)

_Am I in Perdido Beach? Where is everybody I know? These are kids I've never seen before. More importantly, who called me? I can hear some one whispering in my mind… Who is it? What is the last thing I remember?_ I walked down the street trying to find a familiar face, but failed. The last thing I remember is seeing a girl in the hospital. Before that, I was in the vehicle with the girl and two other people when the FAYZ went down._ I don't get it. What's with that huge time gap? I mean, the girl was older when she was in the hospital. What for? _There were too many questions and no answers. _What happened to me?_

(Max)

I was watching television when Xavier's group of followers broke through the backdoor. Seeing as most of the door was glass, it wasn't hard to break. Teenagers with guns swarmed the whole living room and started asking questions with their guns pointed at me. Trepidation was the only thing I could feel now, for I didn't know what was going to happen next. Something was stirring inside my body. Something powerful and exhilarating. I heard one of them tell me I was going with them. However, my decision was quite different. I turned around and took off running to the front door.

My speed was unimaginable. I was going so fast it felt like everything was a giant blur. Before I knew it, I was at the old Clifftop Hotel. I looked at my feet and saw my tennis shoes were torn to shreds. I didn't know what to think, but I liked the power I was experiencing . With a grin on my face, I took off running again. The whole time thinking I was an unstoppable force.

(Drake)

With each day that passed, I felt the bond between me and DJ growing. The kid is more like me than I first thought. I taught him how to handle a gun properly until he was nearly better than I was. The master was about to complete his plan now and I told DJ everything. Finally, he claimed he could hear the Darkness talking to him in his mind. Now we just had to wait for the mater's orders.

(Edilio)

I looked through the FAYZ barrier wondering what was going on inside. Here the sun was shining brightly, but in there, everything was probably an illusion. Every adult was fretful as they thought about their children and relatives in the FAYZ. I saw Sam and Astrid looking through the barrier about thirty feet away from me, but I decided to leave them alone. That was when I saw him. I rose to my feet quickly, not wanting to believe what I was seeing.

There on the other side of the barrier was Drake Merwin and a kid. Drake was talking to the kid. Telling him that nobody could stand in their way. A woman ran up beside me and started yelling, "DJ."

I looked over at her, "He can't hear you. How do you know that kid? I've never seen him before."

"He's my sister's son. My sister is dead though and they sent DJ to a juvenille center. That person he's with… do you know him?" The woman asked.

I nodded, "Drake Merwin. He's a real pysychopath. The last time this happened, he killed numerous people."

"Drake… Merwin." Her eyes widened in surprise and horror, "That's DJ's father."

Now, it was my turn to be surprised. "What? You've got to be kidding me."

She shook her head, "I'm not joking. DJ's initials stands for Drake Junior. I'll admit that he's really messed up in the head."

I looked at her, "Well, no offense, but like father like son." Sighing, I sat down. "The bad thing is there's nothing we can do. We just have to wait 'till this is all over."

(Xavier)

The grief was still strong in my heart, but I was going to avenge my sister. A few hours after her death, I figured out what my power was. It stunned me at first, but I soon recognized what it was. I was a shape shifter. Whenever I saw someone, I could immediately transform to look like them to the slightest detail. I smiled as I saw the kid called Daniel leave his house. I knew Daniel was taking care of Chris Lazar and I was going to get as many people as I could to help track down the one that killed Adrianna.

I waited until Daniel was out of sight before I shape shifted into him. Pointing at five teens, I ordered them to come with me. They already knew the drill. Two of them pinned my arms behind my back and dragged me to the house. My 'captors' opened the unlocked door and went in. "Chris!" I yelled. "Get-" One of the teens put his hand over my mouth. We walked into the kitchen where Chris stood with a butcher knife.

A teen with a gun leveled it at my head, "Drop the knife or I'll shoot."

Chris looked at me and dropped the knife to the floor.

"Okay, now listen. If you ever try to run from us, we'll kill Daniel right in front of your eyes and you'll be next. Got it?" The teen with the gun asked. Chris nodded. "Alright, now come with us." They walked over to Chris and grabbed him by the arms, then dragged him through the front door. I smiled and transformed back to myself.

"Good job." I said. "Let's get back to the juvenille center." The reason I chose the juvenille center was so we could keep an eye on the new recruits. _This is going to work out great._

It took a while to reach the juvenille center, but we made it before it grew dark. Most of the civilians here in the FAYZ were children over the age of thirteen, olde enough to handle a gun. We walked into the building leading the new recruits to the cafeteria to tell them what they were here for. I remember dad telling me him and Sam had made their own little armies, both were useful. Which is why we're recruiting everybody we think is capable, no matter the age.

In total, there were thirteen new kids lined up in the cafeteria, which was pretty good considering how many there were already. One of the oldest teens who was going to become a marine when he came of age, walked along the line inspecting every movement. "Listen," He ordered. "Your new life starts now. You are to listen to everything we tell you with respect. Forget everything that has happened to you and those that don't will find they can't remember anything. Every teenager here has at least one gun and they're going to watch you to see if there are any escape attempts. There is no way you can get away from us, so deal with it."

A kid, probably a twelve-year-old, tried to run out the doors, but found guards in his way. The kid backed up and looked for another escape route only to see there was none. He eventually figured there was no point in even trying and went back to his place in line.

"Anybody else want to try leave?" The future marine asked. Nobody moved. "Good. My name is Lester, but you call me sir. You'll be assigned rooms on the top floor. We'll tell you your room number and you can go on up. Just remember, you have people watching you 24/7 and you're on the fourth floor. Unless you plan on dying, I wouldn't try to jump."

I watched as Lester gave out slips of paper to the kids. Once he was done, he said, "Dismissed." Immediately the kids went upstairs to find their room. Lester looked at me and nodded. I returned the gesture then went to my room to attempt to figure out the only clue I had that could lead to Adrianna's death. Five digits was the only thing written on a piece of paper. 3:88:99.

(Daniel)

I came home to find the front door open. Everything was quiet as I walked inside. "Chris?" There was no answer. Confusion filled my mind when I walked into the kitchen to see the butcher kinfe laying on the floor. _Perhaps he's just gone for a walk. If he's not back by morning I'll go look for him. It's the only thing I can really do. _

(Max)

Curiosity ended up getting the better of me and I found the teens who broke into my friend's house. They were huddled in a group, but I could tell they were bullies. One of them was talking now and I tried to go past them to see what they would do. The laughter ceased and one yelled and pointed at me. Then they started coming after me, but I didn't run. Instead, I let them capture me and they started to drag me away. Onlookers stared, wondering why I wasn't putting up a fight, but I wanted to figure out why they were taking kids. _I'll find out soon._

(DJ)

Drake basically became my mentor once we realized we had a lot in common. He was teaching me how to shoot by instinct and fight for as long as needed. Now, he was teaching me new fighting techniques. He threw a punch and I blocked the fist. Then, I grabbed a lawn chair from behind me and swung at his ribs, which made a loud cracking sound.

"Good job," Drake said. "You're improving."

I set the chair down, "When can I fight with a knife?"

"Whenever you think you're ready." He replied.

"I'm ready now!" I said in excitement.

My mentor nodded, "Alright." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long knife, giving in to me. "Come at me with everything you have. Remember, you can't kill me, but I want you to try."

I grinned, "I'm not going to fall back until you're lying in your own blood."

Drake grinned, "That's the spirit. Now come on." He barely had time to finish his sentence before I lunged.

(Boogey)

Nobody would believe me when I told them I saw a teen with a whip for a hand. My arm was wrapped in a bandage, but the pain was always there. People stopped coming around to visit me and a great depression settled over me like my own personal storm. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore. Now, I'm in the desert without any water. I've been facedown in the sand for nearly two days now and I am too weak to move. Death was right beside me now and I was begging it to take me, to end my suffering. A black cloak finally settled over my eyes and I could feel my heartbeat start to falter. _So this is what it's like to die. _I thought as my pulse became slower. I didn't remember my past, but I saw my parents' smiling faces. I felt myself smile before my heart stopped completely. _I'm finally going home._

(Brietta)

Most of the kids didn't understand what it was like to be a freak. My power turned me into a freak, yet I only received it a year ago. I don't mean to make things float in the air, it just happens if I get angry or sad. Everything was floating around now, because I was sad that I had lost my mom and dad. I tried to become happy, but it didn't work. Chris wasn't around, so I couldn't go to him. Earlier this morning, Daniel was looking for the boy, but didn't find him. Nobody wanted to be around me and loneliness was weighing down on me. I hated myself. Everytime I looked the mirror, I turned away in disgust. This power I had was nothing but a burden and I longed for it to go away for a whole year now, but it will never fade. I know that…I just wish it would so I could be a normal kid again. A normal kid with a mom and dad… and somebody I can tell my secrets to.

(Sam)

I don't know how long it's been since the FAYZ has returned. Days. Weeks… I don't know. Another weird thing happened the other day, though. After the FAYZ went down the last time, every freak then had lost their powers. Now they were coming back. Everyone who was a freak in the FAYZ had their powers back as if they were never gone. We sat at the barrier everyday, waiting for something to happen, but there was nothing. Not one kid walked along the barrier.

"I wonder what's going on. I mean, there hasn't been a kid even come this way for days now." Edilio said as he stood beside me, looking through the FAYZ wall.

"I don't know," I replied. "The one thing I'm really wondering is how that storm cloud is inside the barrier."

Edilio looked up, "Man, that can't be good. It acts like theres going to be a typhoon, a bad one."

I looked at the black cloud and sighed in frustratoin at no being able to help. "There's nothing we can do. The only thing we really know is that our children are inside the only place that can nearly be called Hell. If they're anything like us, then they'll make it."

"If they're anything like us, there would be a huge war breaking out right about now." Edilio remarked. As soon as the words left his mouth, thunder boomed from the FAYZ.

Every adult an older teen looked up at the sky and saw the storm cloud, then saw the lightning streak from one side of the barrier and possibly to the other. "We can only hope for the best." I replied.


	4. Chapter 4

Teenagers ran back and forth in the hallway trying to keep windows blocked and doors closed. An awful storm was blowing the doors open and breaking windows, sending rain and wind inside the building. Most of the teenagers took cover, while others tried to lend a hand on whatever they could. Some of the apprentice soldiers were cowering in their rooms like little kids. It disgusted me as I ordered people on where to go and what to do. TA group of teens I sent on recruiting patrol an hour before the storm rolled in and they weren't back yet. Two in the group were my best soldiers and I couldn't afford to loose them.

There was a captain of another group, Charlie, about to run past me, but I grabbed him by the arm. "I want you to organize a patrol of kids to find Tobey's team, don't go with them though, we'll need you in the future."

"Apprentices?" He asked. Charlie Sanders was almost as cruel and heartless as DJ, but people obeyed him.

I nodded my head, "Hurry up! We need to get them back before the storm gets worse!"

"Alright, boss." He said and took off running toward the apprentices quarters. A few minutes later, I saw he gave the mission to six apprentices, five boys and one girl. All of them were hesitant about entering the storm and I walked up to them.

I yelled, "Get going!" One of them glared at me for a moment and I realized it was the kid that had his memories erased as a punishment for trying to escape. He knew his name, but everything else was gone. I figured he would argue with me, instead he looked at the door and ran out. The others followed him. I smiled, knowing that recruiting members for my own small army was a great idea. Dad told me once it can result in a lot of bloodshed, but there hadn't been any. Not yet at least.

(Daniel)

I woke up underneath part of a wall with rain falling into my eyes. Quickly, I regained my memory of what happened. There were teenagers trying to get this thirteen-year-old boy to come with them, but the boy refused. As a result, they started to beat him. Rage roared through my veins and I ran at the group, but I was outnumbered. The boy got away, but I was barely conscious as they started dragging me away. Then a strong wind threatened to blow us off our feet and rain hit us like hail balls. We took shelter inside an abandoned house, but it didn't help. That was when I saw the wall falling toward me and now, here I am, pinned.

Cries of help came from my abductors, but I could barely here them for the storm. Thunder boomed and lightning lit up the sky as I lay there. I tried to push the wall off and crawl out from it, but it just made the pain in my whole right side worse. Exhaustion and defeat washed over me like a tidal wave and I stopped struggling, it was becoming hard to breath with each passing minute and I wanted to give up. Soon, the cries of help stopped.

At first, I thought I was dead, but I was still going through more torture. There was another section of wall threatening to fall and I knew it would kill me immediately. Every second, it came closer to it's descent onto my head. I was barely able to breathe now and I closed my eyes. That was when I heard the voice._ Dude, I got you. Just hang on awhile longer. _The voice was familiar… "Quinn?" I tried to whisper. I was too tired to even want to continue living, no matter who was calling my name.

"_Come here guys, help me get this wall off him."_

I wanted to tell Quinn to shut up and leave me alone, but the teen was as stubborn as ever. A minute later, a weight was lifted off my chest. _"Let's get back, now before this stupid storm gets worse." _Then, I felt two people support both my arms around their shoulders. My feet dragged against the rubble and I heard the wall fall to the ground. Just in time, but I didn't want to live. I was too tired to live through another FAYZ. I opened my eyes slightly and saw Quinn on my right, trying hard not to hurt my side. "Let me go. Please… Quinn. Just let me die. The last time… the FAYZ was here was like hell on earth… Don't make me go through it again… I… lost too… much."

"_Hang in there." _He paused for a moment, _"I know what it was like last time and I don't want to go through it again anymore than you do, but we have to live. Sam and all the others are waiting for us to return safely. Just hang in there for a little while longer. Can you do that for me?"_

I whispered, "I'm not making… any promises… but I'll try."

(Charlie)

I was surprised when the group of apprentices came back with the recruiting patrol. Teens rushed to help the wounded to a room with no windows, where all the hurt people were took. There was nothing we could do for them, but we tried our best. One teen was probably at death's door already, so we put him on a small bed where he could die in peace. Once the boy's back hit the mattress, his eyes opened slightly. "Quinn."

"Who's Quinn?" I whispered to the others so the boy couldn't hear.

A boy stepped forward, "He's been calling me that." He walked to the dying boy's bedside, "I'm here."

The boy grinned, "I… knew you… weren't dead. I've k-… known it… for years. Your son… great kid. Like you… Find him… He needs… his… father right… now." The dying teen reached out for the boy's hand, "Promise… find him…"

After a second, the boy grabbed the outstretched hand. "I promise."

The dying teen smiled again, "Thanks… Quinn…" Then, the light left from his eyes, but the grin was still plastered on his face. I didn't really know what was going on, but I just knew the dying kid was hallucinating. The boy dropped the hand and stood there for a moment with a confused look on his face. Everybody was looking at him and I knew he sensed it.

He looked at everybody, "What else was I supposed to do? It was his last words after all." I watched the boy as he walked out of the room.

"Who is that kid? I've hardly seen him around the building before." I asked.

People shrugged, "Don't really know his name, but he is one heck of a shooter. You need to watch him one day, bull's-eye every time."

I looked back at the other squad captains, "Who's that kid's mentor?"

"I am." A voice said. Jerry Stone, captain of squad four.

"What's his name?"

Jerry shrugged, "He doesn't talk much and you he seems to have a high pain tolerance. Wouldn't give me any information about himself, even when I threatened to beat him to death."

"But you have seen him shoot?" I asked.

The other captain nodded, "He's actually better than me."

Nodding, I dismissed the surrounding people and told a group of apprentices to get the body out of here. Then I walked over to Xavier who was at Tobey's bedside. "How is he?"

"He broke his left leg. I don't see how he'll be of use to us now." Xavier replied.

I nodded, "Looks like were going to have to get a new captain for squad seven."

(Chris)

The streets were starting to flood, so it wasn't safe to go outside. Instead, I started to help barricade doors and windows. The wind seemed to get worse by the minute and I could hear palm trees falling in the street. My mind was filled with the memory of the teen dying. How I made a promise to him I knew I couldn't keep. For some reason, it felt like I knew the kid. I can only remember being an apprentice soldier, my past was gone no matter how hard I tried to remember. My name is Chris Lazar. I'm twelve and my mother was… That is all I can remember. It was aggravating, but it was the way things are.

Water leaked from the roof upstairs and filled the hallway with liquid. Then, I felt my head throbbing and I saw an image. A coyote was lunging at a little girl and I hit it with my gun, swinging the object like a baseball bat. Blood was everywhere: on the ground, on my clothes, in my eyes. _Could this be a memory?_ I asked myself before I felt the ground shake as the ceiling above me started to cave in.

(Matt)

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as I ran to the nearest shelter, which was a black V8 Titan. Never before had I seen a storm this bad and it scared me in a way. I remembered the 'master's' instructions: Destroy Chris Lazar, the one who was going to betray me. _I'll do it when this storm passes. _I felt the Darkness whispering encouragement in mind and I smiled, ready to kill my best friend.

(Quinn)

A while ago, the storm ceased and I walked through the destroyed town of Perdido Beach, my hometown. Kids were running everywhere trying to save loved ones and possessions. I was the only one who stayed calm in all the chaos as I tried to figure out where my friends was. Somehow, I managed to see Sam's destroyed house. I ran to the rubble and saw a mailbox among the debris that said Denny Sims. Surprisingly there was a letter still inside and I opened it to see the date. 2024. I'm twenty-seven years old.

The shock was gone when I heard creaming in the distance. I turned around and saw part of an old building had caved in with kid's pouring out of the building. Quickly, I ran to the group of huddled teens and kids. I heard one of them say something about somebody being in there trying to get the dead kid. Without hesitating, I ran toward the doorway and entered. There was a room on the left where I saw a kid trying to carry the body of a boy out. I ran over, "I'll take him." It was my mistake when I saw the dead boy's face. "Daniel." The name popped into my head and I remembered the little boy I took care of years ago. Now, he was dead.

"Dude, we have to move now. I smell gas." The boy beside me said right when a flaming tree fell into the building. The flames lit the gas and started to create a wall of fire. "Come on! Move!" He pushed me forward and we both ran for the exit, me half carrying half dragging my old friend. "Keep going." The boy beside me said. "I'll hold off the fire for as long as I can since I don't have full control yet." The boy turned, raised his palms, and a wave of water formed from the water on the floor. The flames died for a minutes until the gas pipe blew completely and a ball of flames erupted down the hallway. I stopped for a moment and turned around to see if the boy was following, he was, but the wall of water still continued to grow.

Somehow we made it out the door and the fire exploded through a few seconds later. It wasn't like a ball of fire I had ever seen. It traveled too slow and I knew somebody had to be controlling it. I laid Daniel's body on the sidewalk, grieving over his death but hiding my sadness. The boy walked over to me. "You all right?"

"Yeah. You?"

He nodded his head, "I'm fine. Thanks for helping me carry… Daniel."

"Did you know him?" I asked.

"I don't remember anything about my past, so I could have. What's your name?"

"Quinn Gaither." I stuck out my hand.

The young boy grabbed it and shook, "Chris Lazar."

(Xavier)

I watched as the boy Chris Lazar and Quinn Gaither shook hands. However, I stopped eavesdropping on their conversation and wondered who could replace Tobey of squad seven. The kid, Chris, seemed like a good idea… if he wasn't so young. _Dang it. Who could it be? And what was with that storm? _A million thoughts were crammed into my head as I tried to sort out some answers. _3:88:99_. Those numbers, the one clue to my sister's death, burned in my head like a hot iron. _I won't give up! I will find Adrianna's murderer! _Down the street, I heard somebody yell, "Chris!"

Chris turned around, "Who is that?"

The boy ran up to him, "Hey, dude. Come on it's me, Matt."

"I'm sorry. I don't know you." He replied.

Matt shook his head and laughed, "Did you hit your head or something? Dude, I'm your best friend… Wait, is that… Daniel?"

Chris shook his head, "Yeah."

"No." Matt dropped to his knees, "Why… Why didn't you help him? Why do you act like you've lost something unimportant?" The boy got to his feet, "He was our best friend!"

Quinn looked at the boy, "Dude, calm down. Who are you exactly?"

"I'm Matt Temple, the one who's about to strangle Chris if he doesn't stop pretending to not remember me or Daniel. Dang it, Chris. We would hang out with him nearly everyday! We'd surf, go to the park, and he taught us how to fire a gun. Don't you remember any of that? 'Cause if you don't, then you're as stupid as I thought you were. I mean, you're acting like you've forgotten all of your friends! What about Brietta? Have you forgotten her, too?"

Chris shook his head, "I really have no clue what you're rambling on about!"

"Shut up. Just shut up!" Matt threw a punch at Chris, but it never connected. Chris held the boy's fist in his hand. Matt looked at him, "Don't you remember what your mom did to you? The scars? She beat you, Chris. Every time she got drunk she'd beat you! You would come over to my house in the middle of the night bleeding all over…"

Chris shoved the hand away, "Look, I have no clue what you're talking about! So just leave me alone!" Then, he walked away and left Matt standing there with anger shining in his eyes.

"IF YOU KEEP ON ACTING LIKE THIS I'LL KILL YOU!" Matt yelled.

I heard a laugh and Chris turned around. "I'd like to see you try!" He turned around again and started walking, leaving me wondering what was going on.

The fuming Matt sat on the ground and I forgot about him, thinking about the numbers again. "What is it? 3:88:99... What does it mean?"

"3:88:99? What are you mumbling about?" Matt asked.

I sighed, "It's just a number."

He shook his head, "Code. It's a code. Use the alphabet. The third letter away is C and so on."

I put the numbers with letters in my head. 3:C, 8:H, 8:H, 9:I, 9:I… CHHII… "That doesn't make sense." When I looked up, the boy was gone. There was a wet little kid's book with the alphabet and I opened it up to the wet pages. 3rd page was C: 8th was H: 8th was H again…. Wait. I went to the 16th page: R… I dropped the book.

"What is it boss?" One teenager asked.

I looked at him, "Round up everybody. Now!"

"What's going on, sir?"

"I just figured out who my sister's killer was." I replied. Running the name over in my head again: Chris. The kid that had his memories erased, the one that was under my rood this whole time. Chris Lazar. _I'm going to kill you. _

**(0 hours, 3 minutes)**

(Matt)

I grinned as I walked away. _Master, everything's going according to plan. _Now there was only one last step to complete…

**(0 hours, 2 minutes)**

(Xavier)

There he was just up ahead, walking along the street and kicking rocks out of his way. We ran toward him with our guns loaded in our hands. The only thing I thought of was my sister's body on the ground, not moving just staring into space. Now it was time to avenge her death.

**(0 hours, 1 minute)**

(Brietta)

Teenagers were running up the street toward a boy. _Is that Chris? _I asked myself, then a voice whispered, "Don't be scared. He'll be okay."

"Who is that?" I asked once I felt somebody's breath on the back of my neck. Before I knew what was happening, I was hit in the head and fell to the ground, a dizzy feeling rocking in my mind. Duct tape was stuck over my mouth and somebody's hands picked me up.

"Got her?" One asked.

"Yeah, let's go."

**(0 hours, 0 minutes)**

(Chris)

Footsteps were coming from behind me and I turned around to see Xavier and his army with their guns in their hands. I didn't know what to do, _what are they after? _I figured that out when Xavier lifted the barrel of his gun and fired. Pain roared in my side where the bullet grazed my skin, "What's going on?" The only answer was more gunfire and I took off running, trying to dodge the racing bullets. _What did I do? I smelled salt water and it encouraged me, for I knew that I would live if I made it that far. Cliffs were a few feet in front of me. Three feet. A spray of sand erupted behind my feet from the cascade of bullets. Two. My heart was pounding in my chest, threatening to burst. One. I prepared to jump. Zero. The air whipped by my face as I fell through the air toward the ground that lay thirty feet below._


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 2**

**Chapter 5: 3 hours, 49 minutes**

(Quinn)

Nothing made sense. There was a strange presence in the air, but it was all too familiar. The Darkness. The monster I was sent back to kill. Bits and pieces of my past came back to me after some time, but not much. My death wasn't very vivid, but everything else was. My friends, parents, job, and even my girlfriend even though I don't remember her name. I remembered Sam, Astrid, Edilio, Little Pete… every one of them except the girl. I sat down in the middle of the street with my head in my hands, _Please let me remember. This is nothing but torture._

(Lana)

My nightmares were so vivid they turned into night terrors. The worst one I had was when I thought Drake Merwin was back. I could smell him, here his sickening laugh, screams… It all seemed so real that I woke up thinking I was in danger from the pschopath. That one night had ruined my son's life forever… Now, I wished I could take everything back, my healing powers, feelings, everything. I wish I wouldn't have lived through the first days of the FAYZ when I was in that wreck. I just want everything to be over.

(Max)

I didn't understand why we were after the boy that jumped off the cliff, but I went along with it. There were certain orders we all had to obey, or else our memories would be erased by one of the mutant freaks. Xavier walked over to the cliff and looked down, "He's not there. The waves are bad so he probably drowned." He clenched his hands in fists, "I wanted so badly to make him suffer, just like he did with Adrianna…" Then, he turned around, "Let's get back. The murderer is dead." We all followed Xavier back to Headquarters, but something was bothering me. _The kid didn't even know anything about his past, so how could he remember if he murdered to girls? What would be the point if he couldn't even remember? Who was that kid exactly? I've seen him from somewhere… but where. _

Then I remembered. Before all of this happened he was surfing with Matt Temple… _Why would he kill two girls in cold blood? He seemed happy the last time I saw him. _I shook my head trying to get the thoughts out of my head, but they refused to leave. _I'd help if I could, but I can't._

(DJ)

Now, I understood why the master's plan included the death of four people. I already knew what one of them was thinking and felt. Readiness for death and the need to succeed in their one part. Could I read minds, too? No. It was more simple than that. The Darkness told me the plans and the future it would bring. I looked at Drake as he cleaned his pistol. "Are you ready?" He asked.

I nodded, "Whenever you are."

He grinned, "Good. You remember what I told you about killing the freaks, right?"

"Make it slow and painful. Yeah, I remember."

Drake laughed and stood up, "Let's go." We walked toward our destination, but there was hardly anybody around. We passed an overlook of Perdido Beach and I glared at the city. _You've held me prisoner this whole time. Now I'm going to kill you. _Then, I walked beside Drake both of us grinning like a shark. The four people about to meet their fate were most likely on their way now and I prepared myself for one thing… my death.

(Drake)

The boy beside me was bursting with confidence. Not a shred of fear could be reveled in his bright eyes. His own death didn't bother him like it would most kids and I was proud of my son. A few days ago I figured out his name was Drake Junior. Father: deceased. Mother: deceased. Now, I was back. His only father was finally back for revenge, but was going to get it through his son. _It's DJ's turn now._ _There was never a third chance for me, I've already made my mistakes and won some battles. My son is going to do something I had never accomplished… destroying Perdido Beach._

(Brietta)

I didn't understand what was going on, I just knew my kidnappers were people I knew. Two kids stood by my side, waiting for something to come. I desperately wanted to ask what was going on, but tape covered my mouth. I prayed with everything I had, but nothing happened. _Please, somebody help me._ The door opened and I saw a face I though I'd never see.

(Chris)

Sand covered my wet feet as I limped along the shore. My side and ankle were grazed by bullets and the bleeding still hadn't stopped. A piece of my shirt was wrapped around my ankle and I bundled the rest of the cloth against my side. Everything that had happened didn't make any sense, but I had some more of my memories back. Matt, Brietta, Sarena Martin… Everyone of them were at the most my friends, but Brietta was my responsibility. I remembered the promise I made to her parents a year ago.

(Flashback)

"_You take care of her, Chris." Her mom said._

"_Don't worry, I'll protect her with my life." I replied._

_We walked down to the beach and immediately went out into the water. A few minutes later, Brietta was trying to stand up on her board. After a few days she was becoming good at surfing. When I took her home that night, we saw a car wreck in front of her house. One of the people inside was her friend, Araya. Brietta ran toward the flaming vehicle to get her friend. If I hadn't grabbed her, she would have been killed by the explosion afterward._

(Flashback End)

Ever since that day, Brietta and I have been close. I looked up the shore and saw Matt running toward me, "Chris!"

I waved and he ran to me, "Chris… It's Brietta. I tried to stop them but I couldn't…"

"Slow down, what happened to Brietta?"

"Two teens took her. I tried to stop them, but they were in a truck and… I'm sorry, I just didn't know what to do."

I nodded, "Thanks for telling me. Where are they? Did you follow them?"

"No, but they were heading to the old Clifftop Hotel. In that direction anyway. Dude, we need to go help her now come on!" I tried my best to run after him. The hotel wasn't very far away and I hoped we made it in time.

**(2 hours, 4 minutes)**

(Sam)

Storm clouds covered the FAYZ skies and I wondered what was going to happen next. Every adult stood at the barrier wondering what was going on.

"Sam, you need to calm down. It could just be clouds…" Astrid said.

I turned around, "Our son is in there or have you forgotten? He could die or be dead for all we know. Doesn't it bother you to see what our kids are going through? The FAYZ is back and probably even worse than before. So don't tell me to calm down Astrid."

Sadness filled her eyes, "I'd trade places with Matt if I could."

"And what if he's dead, Astrid? How can you trade places with a dead person?" I asked before I walked away.

(Xavier)

After I got back, I planned to just go to sleep, but it didn't happen. Something was bothering me, preventing my much needed sleep. My thoughts drifted to the murder of my sister and the other girl. The messages on their bodies and the blood dripping out of them in a large puddle. I wondered if anybody saw what had really happened, but I had already avenged both girls. What was the point in retrieving the details now after everything was over? I walked over to the window and looked at the nearly setting sun. To my right, the ocean was sparkling, but waves didn't crash against the shore. Now I just wanted out of Perdido Beach, this world… my life.

**(1 hour, 49 minutes)**

(Matt)

I lead Chris up the Clifftop Hotel's stairs waiting for him to catch up and help him if he needed it. We reached the top floor after climbing a few stories. Doors lined up along the hallway like a threatening maze. Chris limped over to the first door and opened it, then went to another one when he didn't find what he was looking for. This continued for a few minutes until he reached the right door. The smell of blood erupted from the doorway. Chris gagged and held his breath for a moment. I went behind him and walked past him into the room.

"Brietta," I said and ran over to her. "You okay?"

(Brietta)

I couldn't believe it when Matt and Chris came through the door. Matt came over to me and Chris was by my side a second later, "Hey. Were going to get you out of here okay. You have to be quiet though." He pulled the tape from my mouth and my lips started to bleed. Matt helped Chris untie the rope around my hands and feet, the I stood up. "Matt, Chris." I hugged them both with tears falling out of my eyes.

Chris wrapped his arms around me, "You remember a long time ago when I told your mom I'd protect you?"

I nodded.

"Well, here I am." He said.

(DJ)

The plan was working and there was only a few more steps to go. Drake stepped out of the master bedroom, chuckling. "You fell right into our trap."

"What trap?" The boy, Chris, asked.

Drake laughed, "The one you're in now." He looked at the other boy, "Good job, Matt."

Matt smile, "No problem." He walked to stand beside Drake along with me and girl.

Recognition flickered in Chris's eyes. "Sarena? I thought you were dead."

She smiled, "I won't go until you do, Chris."

(Chris)

_What's going on? _I thought as I looked at the people in front of me, but I was too afraid to speak. My body felt cold and I reached my hand to my right pocket to grab my gun. Brietta was looking at me with a terrified gaze.

She gripped my hand, "Chris… I'm scared. What's going on?"

I didn't answer. "Matt… you're really going to kill us?"

My best friend grinned, "You can put it like that. Why are you scared?"

_Am I scared? Yes, petrified actually. How can I get us out of here? _"Why, Matt? You're my best friend." I looked inside his eyes and I only saw someone who was wanting to kill: a monster. "After all these years you want to kill me and Brietta. Why?"

"I just want my parents back." He said and looked at the kid with a whip for an arm who nodded.

One moment Matt was there, then he wasn't. Brietta screamed as she was thrown against the wall with a sickening crunch. "Brietta!" I tried to run over to her, but a sharp pain filled my body and I fell like a sack of potatoes. It continued to get worse as one of the kids walked closer.

"You and Matt aren't the only freaks here, I also have a power. Do you like it?" He laughed, "I can kill you any moment now. I put a box inside your body and it's expanding every second until all your organs bust."

I curled up into a ball with my face in the dusty carpet. _Please, let it be over already! _More pain surged through me and I heard my ribs break, some went through my skin while others just broke in half. A bloody scream erupted from my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I saw Brietta wake up. She looked at me and I looked at the window a few feet from her. _Go._ I mouthed the word the best I could. Brietta saw the window, but didn't move. "GO!" I yelled the best I could and sent Brietta out of her shock. She ran at the window and jumped through it. The glass shattered as her small body hit it and I knew she would be all right.

Drake looked at me, "It's too late you can't save her." He nodded at Matt, "Finish him."

I watched my friend step forward and his hand grabbed my neck, then my feet barely touched the ground. Matt's eyes met mine. "Matt… Pl-ease… Help- m-e." He shook his head.

"I'll end this quickly for you." My friend lifted his hand and touched my chest. "Goodbye, old friend."

"Matt…" I started, but I couldn't finish. Matt reached into my chest and stabbed my heart. A coldness formed like ice over the organ and I couldn't breathe. Blood streamed from my mouth when I tried to talk. My friend still supported me with one hand and I swallowed the blood in my throat. "I… w-want… you to… know." I swallowed again, "We'll… al- always… be b-best friends."

The last thing I saw was Matt's sad eyes before he dropped me to the bloody carpet. I felt Sarena kiss me on the cheek and push the hair from my forehead. A moment later, everything was silent.

(Xavier)

Adrianna's grave wasn't the best, but it still covered her body. I knelt next to the rock we used like a headstone and ran my index finger across the name. There was nobody with me and it felt like nobody cared about my sister's death. Even though I never liked her much, she was apart of my life. Now that she was gone, I didn't feel like myself. I thought of the boy who put her there and rage pounded through my veins, but the boy jumped off the cliff and there was no way her could have survived. _So why do I feel like this? What's the point? _

I rose to my feet and turned around to walk away. Then, I felt something grab my ankle. My eyes turned to the ground where there was a hand. I jumped away and turned around. "What the-" There, coming out of the dirt, was my sister. I couldn't speak, but I watched as Adrianna pulled herself from the ground. Finally she was facing me with blank eyes. "Adrianna…" I whispered her name and her eyes bore into mine. She ran at me and shoved me to the ground. My head hit the hard, grassy surface making black spots dance across my eyes. Then my sister stepped toward me with an expressionless face. I layed there in shock with my head throbbing, unable to move as the person I once knew came closer. She leaned down and grabbed the gun that had fallen from it's holster. I watched as she pointed the barrell at me, then a single gunshot rang through the quiet atmosphere.

(Brietta)

Tears rolled down my face as I ran closer toward town. The image of Chris's mangled body wouldn't leave my mind and one of the last things he said to me. '_Remember when I told your mom I'd protect you? Well here I am.' _The lump in my throat hurt even more as I remembered his words to me for he had probably lived up to his promise. I ran faster when I saw a figure in the distance. "Hey!" The figure turned around. "Please, you have to help. My friend's hurt… please."

The boy nodded, "I'll follow you."

We ran as fast as we could, but it took a while before we even got halfway to the hotel. "How bad is your friend hurt?"

"Bad. I don't how bad though… j-just. Bad." I replied and continued running until I tripped over my own feet. "Who are you anyway?"

"Soldier." The boy came back to me and squatted down, "Get on my back. I'll carry you, just point me in the right direction." I nodded and climbed on his back and he took off running.

"Keep going straight." I said and he did. The image of Chris came back again and the whole scene replayed from the time I was kidnapped to where I jumped out the window.

"Is that it?" The boy asked and jolted me out of my daze. We were close to the building now and there was no sound coming from the top floor.

I nodded, "Yeah." When we reached the front door, he set me on the floor and we ran up the steps. Once we were in the top floor hallway, I pointed to the right door. "In there." I walked forward but the boy grabbed my shoulder.

"I don't want you to go in there."

"That's my best friend in there, so I'm going." I replied and walked on inside. Blood was everywhere and, in the midst of it all, was Chris. He had blood all over him and his eyes were closed. "Chris…" I ran over and got on my knees beside him. "Chris, wake up." I shook his shoulder, but he didn't wake up. "Chris, please. Chris. Chris!" The boy walked over and grabbed Chris's wrist.

He shook his head, "He's dead." The boy put my friend's hand back on the floor.

Tears fell from my eyes and I bowed my head, "He protected me… He's dead because of me…"

"Don't say that… It's not your fault." The boy reached into Chris's pocket.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he pulled out a small book. The boy read the first page, then closed it.

"It's his mom's diary. Come on, we'll take him back to town and bury him." The boy reached down and picked up Chris's lifeless body. My heart ached seeing all the blood on him. We walked to town without saying a word. "I want you to go get a boy called Xavier and bring him here." I didn't move. The grief was too heavy on my heart to even think right. "Go, now. Please." The boy said and I got up and walked away. _I'm so sorry Chris. You're dead because of me… _

(Quinn)

I watched the girl walk away and I walked over to the lifeless body. The diary was still in my hands and I opened it up:

_Dear Diary,_

It's been a month since the FAYZ wall came down and the adults returned.. I wish things could have turned out differently, but it didn't. My boyfriend died bringing down the FAYZ and I'm pregnant with a baby boy. Everybody is trying to help the best they can, but I just want to be left alone for a while. Perhaps whenever the baby is born, everything will start to get better. I'm glad to be back in my own home, but I've just lost something dear to me and it hurts a lot. The last thing I promised my boyfriend was that I'd take care of his child and that's what I'm going to do. This baby is the closest thing I have to the man I once knew. I'll write every once in a while, but it's going to be hard once our son is born.

Lana

I turned a few pages and started to read when the baby was born:

Dear Diary,

The baby was born today. He's asleep right now, but he's already a bundle full of energy. The weird thing is… somebody told me what to name my own son and I know exactly who it was. Quinn. The doctors say I was hallucinating, but I know I wasn't. Quinn told me what to name our child and I done what he asked. Chris Lazar was born on May 13 at exactly 5:00 a.m.. He weighs 7.2 pounds and has a head full of hair, just like his father's. Mom, Sam, Astrid, Edilio, and Daniel talked to me today and I told them about Quinn and they believed me. I'm glad some people do. Now I lay here writing this, trying to describe how my son is, but I can't put it into words. I love my son and perhaps one day I'll tell him what his father done.

Lana

My head swam with these new facts, but I continued to read.

Dear Diary,

I'm scared to death. My son is in the hospital and it's my fault because of a night terror. It was about Drake Merwin, a psychopath in the FAYZ days. He was killing everybody in sight and was trying to kill me… He grabbed my shoulder and started to cut me with his Whip Hand. The next thing I know, Chris is in a puddle of blood on the floor. He's only a kid! And now he's in the ER for a bullet to the stomach. What kind of parent am I to him now? I wish I had my healing powers now…

Now, I couldn't believe the boy was shot. I walked over and raised the boy's shirt to reveal the scar. "You went through Hell and back again, kid." I sat back down and turned to the last page:

Dear Chris,

I've been debating on whether to tell you everything about your father and I think you're old enough to know now. You are just like your father… the looks, personality, hobbies, even the grin and laugh. Everyday I watch you and realize you're growing into the man I loved. Your father's name was Quinn Gaither and I started dating him when we were trapped in Perdido Beach. There was a barrier that covered the town and we called it the FAYZ, Fallout Alley Youth Zone. Everybody over the age of fourteen disappeared… 'poofed'. In that time, your dad was a fisherman, but things still became worse. There was a creature in the old mine called the Darkness and it smuggled into mine and your father's minds. We could hear everything it was planning, so we started making a plan of our own. We figured out that the Darkness had organs and saw that smoke could kill it. There was maneating bugs in the mine and the Darkness went to the old Nuclear Plant. I went to the mine and Quinn took the power plant where Drake Merwin, Pack Leader (a talking coyote), and the Darkness. When I managed to kill the bugs, Edilio and Sam took me to the power plant. I was too late, your father was already dying. I tried to heal him, but it didn't do any good and the FAYZ wasn't down. Somehow, Quinn sent his soul to Little Pete and made him take down the barrier. Your father saved everyone in the FAYZ by sacrificing his life, but he did it with a grin on his face. A teenage boy, Drake Merwin, helped murder your father and I've always hated him. The night I shot you was when I thought you were Drake. I hope you'll forgive me for that someday, but I know you probably never will. Continue to be yourself, Chris, and stay with your friends no matter what they do or say to you. Please, if you're reading this don't think badly of me. The FAYZ may come again one day and you'll need to be prepared, but I won't be with you to give you advise. Just follow your heart and do what you think is right, then nothing can go wrong. I love you, Chris and I am so proud of you for being your mother and father's little boy.

Lana

I stared at the page with full understanding of it's contents. Lana was the girl I couldn't remember… the girl I loved. Finally, everything came back to me. I never did leave Lana's side until my son was born. My soul watched him being born and I gave Lana the name Chris. The boy laying on the ground right now, Chris Lazar, was my only son. We both looked alike and I didn't understand why I didn't realize it earlier. It didn't matter now though… because my son was dead. I dropped the book to the floor and I saw that it opened up to another page, so I picked it up again.

**Dear mom,**

**I understand everything now. It's been a few weeks since the FAYZ came, but I'm still here… just not for very much longer. The other day, Matt just disappeared when he ran into the barrier. Now he's back and I know he's not the real Matt. But you told me to stay with my friends no matter what they do or say to me and that's what I plan to do… even though it'll kill me. A kid with the power to erase everyone's memories made me lose everything for a while, but I remember now. Sorry I read your diary, but I wanted to understand what you've been going through all these years. Everything you wrote in this diary helps me understand why everything happened the way it did. And I'm not mad at you for shooting me in the stomach, for I understand now. I wish I had earlier… As for my father… you're going to think I'm crazy, but I don't think he ever left. I've felt somebody watching over me my whole life and I know it's him. Now, I'm not only going to go by Lazar, I'll go by Gaither too. From what I've read and sense, my dad was a good person and I plan to be like him too. I've had a bad feeling for days now, but I'm not going to let it bother me, if I die… I die. Daniel took care of me for a while until I unwillingly became a soldier for Xavier Soren. Now Daniel is dead. I tried to save him, but I was too late. I don't want anybody else dying and I'll try to prevent it as best as I can. If anyone is going to die here in the FAYZ, I want it to be me… with no regrets and a smile on my face. I love you mom and I hope to see you again someday. Take care of Brietta for me, please. And don't grieve over my death. Keep living for me and stay happy, just like me and dad want you to.**

**Chris Lazar/Gaither**

**P.S. Love you forever. Goodbye mom.**

I closed the book and looked at the cover. Everything that meant something to my girlfriend and son was in this diary. Everything they experienced and felt. My mouth felt dry once I looked at my son's bloody, lifeless body. _Chris Gaither… age 13 now. One of his hobbies is surfing. Friends: has a few and cares bout them dearly. His state of mind was better than mine even after his mom shot him. He died protecting a girl he loved… just like I did. Like father, like son. _I started walking away, allowing my instincts to guide me.

(Edilio)

Everybody was watching through the barrier, waiting for something to happen. Sam, Astrid, and Lana was sitting on the ground beside me not saying a word. People understood what was going on now… another war. Only after a few days of the FAYZ a war was already brewing. With a battle coming so soon, my feelings said that every kid in the FAYZ was going to die.

"Who is that?" An adult said from behind me, pointing at the other side of the barrier.

I looked and jumped to my feet, "Chris?" The figure, Chris, continued to walk closer. "Chris. Don't come-" I stopped now that I knew who the teen walking toward us was. "No way, Quinn? Is that really you?"

He nodded, "Yeah. It's me. Where's Lana?"

I was confused, but I called Lana over. "Quinn?" She asked.

"The one and only." The teen replied.

Lana got over her shock quickly, "Quinn. Listen to me, your son is in Perdido Beach somewhere. Find him and-."

He cut her off, "I met him, Lana… but. He didn't make it."

"No… no, he's still alive! He has to be… Go find him, dang it! If you really care about him, go find your son!" Lana yelled.

Quinn pointed at his shirt, "He's gone Lana. This is his blood on my shirt. I found him, okay! But I was too late! Do you not understand? OUR SON IS DEAD!" His voice cracked and tears formed in his eyes.

"How did you even know what he looked like?" Lana asked after she got calmed down enough.

The teen on the other side of the barrier held up the book, "This. It was with him when he was killed. It's your diary, Lana. He understood everything you wrote in it and even replied back. He's not mad at you, Lana, but I am. How could you do that to your own son? What kind of mother were you to basically abandon your son? He would try his best to stay away from you, that was why he was at Matt's house a lot. Everything about your and his life is written on these pages…" Quinn ran a hand through his hair. "And yes, I was proud of him."

Lana's eyes filled with shock, "You could hear me?"

"Yeah, it was the last question you asked me before now." Quinn turned and started walking away. "When this is over, you better quit your… habits. And if I see you pick back up on them, I'll haunt you for the rest of your miserable life."

Now it was my turn to speak, "Wait a minute… you're dead?"

"Well, I can't be alive now can I if I died years ago. I'll take care of things now, just wait until the barrier goes down." Then he turned back around and continued walking. Lana was screaming his name over and over again, but he ignored her until he was out of sight.

(Xavier)

I expected to feel a sharp pain as the bullet entered my body, but I felt nothing. Finally, I opened my eyes and looked at my body then at my sister. She had a hole in her head and I watched as the corpse fell to the ground. There was a shimmering light behind me and I could barely make out the face before it disappeared. I looked at my sister's corpse, not really believing what just happened.

(Drake)

Everything was ready now and it was about time to give Perdido Beach a taste of Hell on Earth. I laughed and looked at the others, "Ready." They all nodded. "Let's go then." With each step we took, the closer we came to the upcoming battle. _This time Perdido Beach is going to suffer and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. The others followed me with hate and rage filled in their eyes. The Darkness had gotten inside their heads and manipulated their thoughts and movements. There was no way we could lose now._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: 0 hours, 42 minutes**

(Brietta)

I didn't understand what was happening. Bodies was coming out from graves and they started to kill everybody without mercy. I ran inside a house and locked the door, then took cover behind a television stand. There was a loud knocking on the door and it shattered a moment later. Footsteps came from the doorway and made it's way to the television. I held my breath. An explosion sounded a second later and I screamed as the body fell into the television stand and sent it coming down at me. A light flashed before I closed my eyes tightly.

"You okay?" A voice asked.

I opened my eyes and nodded but I didn't see anything or anyone except for a shimmering light. "What's going on?"

"A war. Look get down to the basement and stay there. I'll come back for you when it's over." The voice said. "Go on, now."

"Who are you?" I asked as I got up.

"I was a friend of your father's." The voice said. "Now go to the basement."

I obeyed, "Are you an angel?" But the figure was already gone.

(Matt)

_Get out of my head, you're not welcome here. _I ran around in the darkest corner of my mind trying to get my own body back. The Darkness was something I didn't understand, but I didn't want it in my head contolling everything. I almost took control last time, but I was terrified at what I saw. My hands was wrapped around my friends neck and he said, "We'll always be best friends." Then, I dropped him to the floor and the Darkness took over again. Now, I was about to give up on trying to take control.

"Matt, don't give up. Come on, man, I know you can do it." Somebody said from behind me.

I turned around, "Chris?" There was my best friend standing there with a grin on his face.

"Don't tell me you give up already?"

"Chris… I'm sorry, I can't get him out of my head… He made me kill you. I shouldn't have made that deal with him, I'm so sorry." I said.

My friend looked at me, "I might be dead, but I'll always help my friends. Nothing will ever stop me from doing that. Now listen, if you keep denying that you can do it you'll lose for sure. You think you're alone, but a lot of people is backing you up." When Chris saw I was still debating on what to do he said something that made my decision, "Are you going to let me die for nothing?"

"No!" I said.

"Then take control again. You can do it, I know you can. Brietta is still fighting and you need to be by her side."

I nodded, "I'll try."

Chris smiled and disappeared. I was in the dark by myself, but I knew I wasn't alone in my heart. I believed with everything I had that I could get rid of the evil within me. _Get out… Get out… Get out. Get out. Get out, get out, GET OUT! _I opened my eyes and saw Perdido Beach. People were running around, trying to seek shelter from the invaders. I grabbed a gun from my belt. _I win Darkness. I'm back and better than ever. You'll pay for murdering my best friend. _I pointed the gun and started shooting.

(Caine)

We could hear gunshots coming from the other side of the barrier and we crowded around at the edge of the FAYZ. The shy was lit in a reddish orange color and smoke was pouring from the town. Parents were crying and yelling their children's names even though they knew their children could not hear them. I sat down and put my head in my hands, "Xavier. What's going on in there?"

Finally, one of the adults ended up going in a frenzy and started hitting the barrier, "Give me back my daughter!" He continued to scream those words as he hit the barrier with all he had.

Edilio and Lana stepped forward, trying to get him to stop. "You're not hurting anything other than yourself!" Lana yelled.

"Why should you be trying to stop me? Your son is already dead!" The man yelled.

Lana clenched her fists, "He's not dead."

The man glared at her, but that stopped when I used my powers to lift him up into the air. "Let me down!"

"Look, everybody here has a relative in there. You need to quit feeling sorry for yourself and calm down. Or do you want me to break your worthless neck?" I glared at him and I saw the anger die from his eyes. "All right." I set him back down and the man sat down, crying.

I looked at Edilio and Lana, "The war hasn't even broke out yet has it?"

Edilio shook his head, "I don't think so. It's just the beginning."

(Xavier)

I looked at the person that saved me, "Who are you?"

"Kate Escobar, daughter of a soldier. Get up, you're coming with me." The girl handed me a pistol. "I hope you know how to use that 'cause you'll be needing it. Now let's go kill some psychopaths."

After a moment hesitation, I nodded. "Lead the way."

She smiled and ran with me hard on her heels. The girl was a good shot, even while running. Kate took out about five dead people in a matter of seconds when I barely managed to kill three. I was already tiring and Kate was barely breaking a sweat. "Hey," I asked.

"This is not a good time to have a conversation with me idiot!" She yelled as she shot another dead person in the forehead.

I growled, "Do you smell smoke?"

She sniffed the air just as a ring of fire engulfed houses, surrounding a small piece of Perdido Beach in fire.

"Crap, what do we do now?" I asked.

She shrugged, "No clue."

(DJ)

The pain was nearly unbearable, but I stood there and took it. Everything was going according to plan. Now, there was only one more sacrifice to make. And that was me. I knew when I agreed to the master's plans that it would be the end of me, but I didn't care. The master was going to take over my body and it was too late to turn back now. I felt his hatred in my heart and his evil spirit in my soul. My head burned as his thoughts became my own. In otherwords, I was dying. With each second that passed my life came closer to ending. _Everybody will know that I helped take down Perdido Beach._

(Brietta)

Everything was in flames and I was trapped. There were no windows and only one flaming door. The only thing I could do was huddle in a corner and watch the flames come closer. I bowed my head and cried in fear. _That angel, Brittney, lied to me. I'm not safe here and she won't come back for me. _It started to get harder to breathe and each cough felt like my lungs were going to explode out of my chest. This is the day I was to die. I'm not going to be able to see my parents, go to school, or see my friends and the outside world ever again. Nobody will come help me… I'm going to die alone… In a world of flames.

(Matt)

Blood splattered my face and chest with each time I pulled the trigger. Bodies of the living dead were falling all around me as a bullet implanted itself in their heads or chests. Everything was a bloody mess, but my only thought was killing these monsters and avenging my friend. Then I saw the sky shimmer and the barrier started to crack. While I was distracted, a zombie thing grabbed me from behind and threw me a few feet away onto the pavement. The breath was knocked out of me and I tried to scramble away from the monster coming toward me, but it was hard when a bone was sticking out of my leg.

My back hit a brick wall and I realized it was a building. There was nowhere else for me to go instead inside, but I had no weapon to fight with. My gun was on the pavement nearly fifteen feet away and my enemy was only ten feet away from killing me. Then I remembered my power and I reacted immediately. Now I was completely invisible and nothing could touch me. I watched as my enemy looked at the spot I was, but it continued to walk closer. I stood up painfully, keeping the weight off my right leg. I limped toward the dead person and jumped through it's body… only to fall on my back in front of the thing. My power wasn't working… My enemy pulled a knife from it's pocket and stepped forward. I tried to get away but I was too late. The knife entered the flesh on my stomach.

(Lana)

The barrier was down and we all ran toward Perdido Beach even though we figured it was a trap. Sam and Edilio was leading the way and I was beside Astrid, who was worrying about her son. As for me… I knew my son was dead. I heard Edilio yell and order at two of his friends and Sam yelled at me to go with him. I obeyed and followed him right through the middle of town. Screams were coming from everywhere and dead bodies littered the streets, some I even knew. Gunshots came from ahead and Sam and I ran toward them.

There was a boy in the distance standing over a figure on the ground. The sun shone and I saw the light glitter on the blade and the boy's stomach.

"Matt!" Sam yelled. The monster looked at us and I saw Matt grab the hilt of the knife. "Don't!"

I watched as Matt pulled the knife out of his stomach and lunged up at the creature. A yell erupted from his throat as he came closer to his enemy. The creature didn't have time to turn it's head as the blade stabbed into it's head. The monster fell to the ground and Matt stood there the best he could. Then he turned around and smiled at his father. "You're back just in time." Matt said before he fell to the ground.

When we finally got to where he lay on the ground shivering, "You done good." Sam remarked.

He didn't answer but looked at me, "I'm sorry. The Darkness took over my mind and I couldn't regain control…" A tear fell down his face, "The Darkness made me kill Chris."

I took in a deep breath, "Don't worry about that. It wasn't your fault."

This made the boy cry even more, "He was my best friend."

"I know." I said and looked at Sam, "We need to get him out of here." Sam nodded and picked up his son as gently as he could. Then, we started to walk out of town.

(Xavier)

I saw the barrier fall, but I knew we couldn't stay in one place or we would be killed. I followed Kate until we reached a building. "We need to-" Kate stopped in midsentence and I saw a red patch form on her ribs. She started to fall to the ground, but I caught her. Her teeth was clenched together and sweat poured down her face. "Get out of here." She gritted her teeth in pain.

"Not without you I'm not." I said and picked her up. After looking around a few times, I couldn't see who or what had hurt her. "We're getting out of here, together." The barrier was down and I knew we could get out now, but the problem was getting there unhurt.

After a while, I realized there was no way out of this place. The fire surrounding us was in a complete circle and it closed even more with each passing moment. The place we were at now was uninhabited, so I sat down with Kate in my arms. The bleeding still hadn't stopped, but it wasn't as bad as it was. The girl was unconscious and pale, but there was nothing I could do. She was most likely going to die right here in my arms and I hoped she wouldn't. She saved my life, but I had no idea how to save hers. I closed my eyes and, for the first time in my life, I prayed. Not for myself, but for the girl dying in my arms… The girl I've come to love, even at first sight.

(Quinn)

There was a handful of enemies left and only a few of us were remaining. Everybody else was either dead or had found a way to escape. I ran through the streets and I ran upon an enemy I thought I would never have to fight. I lifted my gun.

"Is that anyway to greet your son?" Chris asked.

"When he's a monster, yes." I said. "But it doesn't have to be this way."

Chris laughed, "Really? You think I'm going to surrender?" The monster walked closer and I knew I didn't have the nerve to shoot my own son. The gun was shaking in my hands and my heart was beating fast. The boy laughed and ran at me, knocking the gun from my hands.

I stepped back, "Chris. I know you better than this. You're dead, but I know you're still here somewhere. Are you really going to let this thing take over your body and kill everyone you've ever known and cared about? The Chris I know wouldn't let that happen!"

The wind howled and I could hear the waves crashing in the distance. The monster glared at me and ran toward me, but it never layed a hand on me. A wave erupted from nowhere and blocked me from the monster. "Good job." I said.

A light shimmered around Chris's body and the monster screamed. I watched as Chris's eyes changed from demon red to sea green. Finally, his sea green eyes stayed and the monster left his body. "Ugh, I hate that feeling!" His eyes shone in anger, "Stupid Darkness, you're not getting my body."

I walked over to him and put my arm around his shoulder, "Thanks for that. You know, the water shield."

My son grinned, "Thank me when all this is over. I have a question. Can I fight with you for the first and last time?"

As much as that statement broke my heart, I nodded. "It would be an honor. When all this is over, maybe you can see your friends again."

Chris smiled, "Let's get this over with then." He looked at the blazing fire surrounding most of Predido Beach. "After I take care of this." A light formed around his body and he closed his eyes. In the distance, a huge wave formed and made it's way toward Perdido Beach.

(Edilio)

A huge wave of water formed in the distance and broke apart into two pieces, then raced along the flames. Everybody was staring at the water and Sam and Lana walked up beside me.

"How in the world can that… I mean… The ocean is a while away." I said.

Lana laughed, "I told Quinn he wasn't dead."

"Lana, what do you mean?" I asked.

"It's Chris's power." She laughed again, "He's going to be the one to take down the FAYZ this time…"

**(0 hours, 23 minutes)**

(Brietta)

I don't remember passing out, but I woke up cradled in somebody's arms. They walked gracefully and I started to cough violently. It felt like my lungs were charred from the fire and each breath I took sent pain shooting through my chest. "We're almost there, just hang on a bit longer."

The voice made me open my eyes, "Chris? But you're dead."

"I still am, but don't worry about that right now." He said and continued walking. I sighed in confusion, but I let my body go limp in my friend's arms. After a few minutes of walking, I realized where we were going: the plaza. There was yells in the distance and a gunshot rang out a second later. My mind was a bit fuzzy, but fear somehow penetrated the fog. I squirmed around and Chris stopped. "It's okay. Quinn probably found a surviving enemy and shot it. Calm down."

"Why are we going to the plaza?" I rasped. "What's the point?"

Chris smiled, "You'll see."

He carried me for a few more minutes when the plaza appeared a few blocks away. The first thing I noticed was that there was a lot of people, adults. "Is it all over?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's over." My friend replied without breaking his stride. "Everybody's back and the barrier is gone."

I laughed, "I get to see my mommy and daddy?"

He nodded, "Remember when I promised you I'd find your parents? Well, I intend to keep that promise."

I let my head fall against his shoulder, "Thank you." A few minutes later, I was grabbed from his arms by my mommy and daddy. They were saying all kinds of stuff to me, but I was just glad to see them.

(Chris)

After Brietta was reunited with her parents, I walked over to my mother and father.

"I'm sorry for earlier. What you read in that diary was-" Mom started, but dad cut her off.

"Look, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." He said and glanced at me then looked at Brietta with her family. "It was the last promise you made to her wasn't it?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Well… you've completed your promise. It'll be your time to leave here in a few minutes."

Lana glanced at Quinn, "What do you mean 'leave'?"

"You can't expect us to stay. I mean, we _are dead _after all." Quinn replied and looked at me, "Have you seen Matt yet?"

I shook my head, "No, why?"

"You need to go see him. He's in that building over there." Mom pointed at a small restraunt with a hotel on one side. I nodded and walked over to the door. The smell of blood and rub-on alcohol immediately greeted me, but I continued to walk. Sam was sitting in a booth and I asked him one question.

"Where is he?"

Sam pointed at a doorway and I walked through it. The smell was stronger, so I knew I was heading in the right direction. One of the doors was closed and I opened it to see Matt lying on his back with his shirt off. A bandage was wrapped around his stomach and blood was seeping through. I stood by his bedside, "Hey. Dude, talk to me."

Matt turned his head slowly toward me, "Chris… thought you… dead."

"Man what happened to you?" I asked glancing at the bloody bandage.

"Knife… you should… have se-seen…" He swallowed, "The other… guy."

I nodded, not really sure what to say. "I remember being this close to death… That time I was in the hospital for a long time was because of this." I pulled my shirt up to revel the now healed bullet wound, "I survived. Now, don't tell me you've given up already."

He shut his eyes then opened them again, "I w-want… to give… up."

"Do you think I came back from the dead to help free you from the Darkness only for you to end up dying over a knife wound? No, I didn't. You are going to live, Matt. I'll make sure of that."

He swallowed painfully, "Okay."

I nodded and put my hand gently on his arm, "Get some rest. I'll be back." I rose to my feet and walked out the door, leaving my best friend on the thin line between life and death. Sam met me at the main door.

"Chris, I heard what you said to him. It's too late. There's nothing anybody can do, not even the doctors. Matt pulled the knife out and he's lost way too much blood. Nearly all of his organs are shut down… it's a miracle he's even alive now." Sam put his arm around my shoulders, "Thank you for being his friend… apart of our family."

"No problem." I said and went out the door. The breeze was the first thing I noticed, something I hadn't felt in a while and was grateful for. Quinn, or dad, was looking up at the sky with his eyes closed. A few seconds later, he glanced back at me.

"I have to go, my job here is done." He walked up to me and ruffled my hair with his hand. "Even though I met you a little while ago, I'm grateful to have known you. You are just like me and I'm proud of you, son."

I hugged him, "You've been by my side my whole life. Thanks. I'm proud of you too, for what you done when this happened before and even now. You killed that psychopath, good job by the way."

We both laughed and stepped away. Lana came up to us and wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck, then kissed him on the lips. I didn't say anything, but I was tempted to say "Eww, gross." Then, mom came over to me and kissed me on the cheek. "Chris, I'm sorry for everything I've done. The drinking, drugs, shooting you… all of it-"

"Mom, don't worry about it. When I read your diary I understood everything, in fact, I even wrote a page in there." I said and hugged her.

**(0 hours, 0 minutes)**

(Chris)

I could feel my body fading away, "Bye, mom." I looked over at dad and our eyes met. We both grinned for some reason and the was the last thing I saw in my body. Now, my body lay on the ground beside of Quinn's with mom looking down with mournful eyes. I looked at dad's soul and he waved goodbye before he faded in the sunset's welcoming rays. My soul wandered to the place I was destined to be… beside Matt. His breathing was slowly ceasing and I knew he was close to death. I placed my hand on his sweaty forehead and sent my entire soul into his body. Finally, I felt his body start to recover. His organs was brought back to life and the knife wound was closing up. I fulfilled my last promise and brought Matt back from the grave. I let my soul become his and I told him one last thing.

_We'll always be best friends._

**Seven Years Later**

(Xavier)

The sun was shining brightly and birds were singing to the world as Kate and I sat in the back yard. It had been seven years since the FAYZ had fell, but the horrors of that time was still fresh in everyone's mind. According to my father, the FAYZ I was in was becoming the deadliest. If the barrier hadn't gone down when it did, every teen and little kid in Perdido Beach would have been dead by the end of the day. Funerals raged on for weeks, but I only went to one… my sister's. After seeing her rise from the dead, I realized how much she had really meant to me. My mother was devastated, but dad just shrugged his shoulders and moved on in life. I was trying my best to do that and I was going to do it with the woman I loved… the one I would give my life for. Kate, the woman who agreed to take my last name and make it her own.

(Lana)

There was only a few people at my funeral, but I didn't care. My life was horrible without the love of my life and my son, so I was ready to just give up. I knew it would happen someday, but I never expected to die like I did. I remember seeing the child in the middle of the road picking up a small basketball and me swerving the car to miss. Then, I was in the hospital with doctors and nurses around me. One of them said something about massive internal bleeding and the other pronounced me dead. One minute, I was standing beside my casket. The next, I was in a really bright place. A voice came from up ahead and I looked at the two figures waiting for me.

I smiled and walked toward Quinn and Chris, who both seemed delighted to see me again. Chris ran to reach me first, "You're not mad at me for being an awful mother?" I asked my son.

He looked at me, "That's back on earth, we're in Heaven now." His arms wrapped around me in a tight hug, "How was Matt doing?"

I smiled, "He's in college now to become a surgeon, thanks to you." It seemed like I was the only human on earth that new what my son had actually did. Somehow, he split his soul and gave Matt one part when he was laying on a table dying. After he got better, the doctors said that he was suffering from multiple personality disorder, but it wasn't very bad. "I read what you wrote in the diary. I did what you said, too. It was hard to live, but I quit the drugs and drinking… I died a way nobody thought I would. A car wreck. Now, I don't regret it. I'm back with you two again."

Quinn and Chris smiled then motioned me to follow them. "We're going to let you meet the rest of the family. We only have an eternity to let you meet all of them." Quinn said and grabbed my hand. "Everybody here _is _family after all."

"Race you!" Chris said and started running.

With Quinn's hand still in mine, we pursued our son all the way until we reached the others I was going to stay with… forever.

(Sam)

I never thought this day would come, but it was finally here. My son set the last box down in his college dorm and looked around inspecting the room. "It'll look a lot better once I get everything straightened out." He said and sighed, "It seemed like it took forever to get here."

"How would you have liked to pay for it?" I asked, joking.

Matt thought for a moment, "I'll leave that part up to you."

We were laughing as Astrid walked through the door, "Well I see you have everything already out of the truck."

"Which means it's time for us to go." I said looking at Astrid, "He'll want to go find him some girls before the day is over."

"Dad…" Matt said in an embarrassed tone. He looked at his mom, "You know not to listen to him about that stuff. I'll be fine."

Astrid nodded, "I know you will despite your father's vulgar comments."

"Vulgar?" Matt asked. "Dang it that rings a bell…"

I laughed, "And that's why we always called your mom Astrid the Genius." I grabbed her hand, "Ready to leave?"

"I guess." She let go of my hand and hugged her son. "Don't drink a lot, okay?"

"I won't mom." Matt said as she kissed him on the cheek.

I held out my hand, "Good luck." He ignored my hand and hugged me too.

After he pulled away, he said, "I'll miss you guys."

"And we'll miss you too. Call every now and then."

He nodded and me and my wife walked out of the college to our car. We got in and drove away, the whole time glancing back a few times. Three miles away, we stopped looking. Our son was growing up now and it hurt, even though I knew it would happen someday.

"Astrid, I just realized something."

"What?" She asked.

I grinned, "We're getting old."


End file.
